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Why Seattle’s Drinking Water is Better Than Bottled

Why buy bottled when you can pour yourself a glass of some of the best water in the nation just by turning on the tap? Here are five of our favorite reasons why Seattle’s drinking water is better than bottled:

Panoramic view of a large lake surrounded by forest

It’s Protected and Safe
Seattle’s watersheds are City-owned and protected. They’re also closed to the public, which means there is very little opportunity for contaminants to enter the water. And to ensure the safety of our drinking water, Seattle Public Utilities’ water quality lab tests an average of 50 drinking water samples per day, 365 days a year.

It’s Fresh From Forest to Faucet
Many cities source their drinking water from local rivers–the same rivers that are used for recreation, industry, and commerce. Seattle’s water is different. We capture our water as rain and melted snow in forested mountain watersheds. We have one of the purest water supplies in the nation.

It’s Affordable
Seattle’s drinking water costs less than a penny per gallon. Bottled water can be thousands of times more expensive than tap water (and that’s before you add the environmental costs of single-use plastic bottles!)

It’s Better for the Environment
Did you know It takes more than twice as much water to produce a plastic water bottle as it does to fill it? And only about 20 percent of those bottles get recycled. The rest end up in landfills or floating in our oceans. Switching to reusable water bottles filled with Seattle’s clean, safe tap water is a great way to show the environment some love.

It Tastes Great
We provide just enough treatment to keep your drinking water safe, clean, and tasting good. (We even have a taste test panel that meets twice a month to taste and evaluate our drinking water!)


Water Bottle Giveaway!

woman drinking from reusable water bottle

Look for us at Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Big Day of Play on August 21! We’ll be handing out free reusable water bottles and silicone straws from our partners at the Lonely Whale Foundation, S’well, and GoSili.


Want to learn more? Check out Seattle’s annual drinking water quality report:

Cover image of 2020 drinking water quality report